My Grandfather was a man of many talents. He was a Builder, A Gambler, A Entrepreneur and most of all a Family man. In my eyes, as well as my family, he was an incredible person. He had stories about everything and always stood by his word. He overcame hardships that many of us would give in to. While he is no longer with us, his spirit and teachings live inside us.
One of his accomplishments that he was always proud of was a small pamphlet entitled “Angles For Anglers”. It is a small 14 page back pocket fitting book that describes his fishing technics. Technics in which he passed down to his children and grandchildren. I am proud to present it here for all to enjoy.
Introduction
In this book you will find many helpful hints and experiences that should help the average fisherman. The author has combined his own experiences and those of his friends to give you actual facts on fishing. He does not say that these facts will hold true for others because every angler has his own idea and method for catching that long awaited “BIG ONE”. If someday the angler has poor luck upon the lake or pond, he probably will find hints given in this book fruitful.
The author does not give detailed information about the habits or description of the fish because he believes that they can be obtained in any public library.
By Emil Nadolny
Equipment
Equipment depends entirely upon the time of year and type of fish to be caught, and also whether the fisherman is on shore or in a boat. For instance, when fishing for horned-pout one does not use a fly rod. Listed below are the various species of common fish and the usual equipment used to catch them.
Panfish:
Are usually caught with long rod (telescope or fly-rod) and reel.
Bass:
Casting equipment;
Casting rod ( length to be judged by angler)
Casting reel (light weight)
Casting Line (12 to 15lb. test)
Assortment of casting plugs
Fly rod equipment;
Tapered fly line
Assortment of flies ( wet and dry)
Net
Trolling equipment:
Rod (long or short)
Bait ( natural or artifical)
Net
Trout:
Telescope or Fly rod
Line
Boots (hip length)
Bait can
Pickerel:
Same equipment as Bass
Large Mouthed Black Bass
I consider the Bass the gamest fresh water fish in the pond. Not only does it give the fisherman a fight on rod and reel, but also gives the angler something to brag about when he catches one. He is smart enough to evade the angler thus making him a worthwhile catch. He usually grows quite large and is caught in almost any pond.
The Bass usually strikes a plug not because it is hungry, but because it is irritated by the action or noise the plug makes. The best time to fish Bass is in the early morning or at sunset. Many anglers prefer to fish Bass at night because then they are more active. When casting for Bass at night and the pond is calm, a top water plug is generally used. However, if the pond is rippled, a plug that dips in and out of the waters surface should be used. If the pond is rough, an underwater plug should be used. There are a variety of plugs upon the market today which are very good. The “jitterbug” and “Crazy-crawler” are the best top-water plugs. Not only do they combine noise with action but they are of sufficient weight for proper casting. The “Hedienvamp”, “Basserino” and any swivel under-water plug are very good for Bass. For a semi-top-water plug, I prefer the “Bananna”. All of these plugs can be bought in almost any desirable color.
The color of the plug depends largely upon the time of year, the type of day and the condition of the water. It is believed that the later in season the lighter the plug. Therefore, in the Fall a yellow or white plug is very good. If the day is cloudy or the water is murky, a light plug should be used. On the other hand, when it is clear and the water is clear use a dark plug.
The Bass hibernates in deep water during the day but does not hold to this rule always. He feeds in shallow water, spawns in shallow water and is caught best in shallow water.
A “Big One”
This is one experience I shall long remember. I used to frequent a pond close to home. About twice a week I’d go down to the pond, just before day break, and cast for a few hours. Every time I cast in a certain cove a Bass would come up and just nip the plug. I could tell by the swirl he made that he was fairly large. After trying several methods to catch him I finally hit upon the right one. I caught a large frog and put a frog harness. I beached the boat in the cove and cast the frog into the water as far as I could. The frog, being large, swam to ashore. I did this several times when finally the Bas struck. after waiting a couple of moments, and giving the Bass time to swallow the frog, I sunk the hook. It was a tough fight, but I finally beached the Bass. He tipped the scales at 7 1/4 pounds!!!
Small Mouth Bass
This is New Englands favorite scrapper. A sturdy fish, much higher than he is wide, He feeds on insects, frogs, crawfish, helgramites, worms or any small fish to be found in his native waters. His jaw does not extend beyond the center of his eye while that of a large mouthed Bass goes beyond it. His stripes are vertical while that of the large mouthed is horizontal.
Small Mouthed Bass differ from large mouthed Bass in that they do not grow as large. Where the Large mouthed usually sounds when hooked, The small mouthed will jump, making him scrappier for his weight. He thrives in ponds that are clear and rocky. You will always find him feeding at night, thus he is more readily caught when it is dark. casting is the usual method used in his capture. Many times he will follow the plug right up to the boat before he strikes. Un-like the large mouthed Bass, he is more apt to strike a moving plug.
Trout
One of the most sought for fish is the Brook Trout. When the first of the season rolls around you will see literally thousands of anglers fishing every stream, large or small, hunting for this fish. The best place to fish for Brook Trout is in very fast water or deep pools.
Worms are used the first of the season because there are no hatches of flies to to necessitate the use of artificial flies. While fishing the streams on a sunny day be sure to face the sun. This will eliminate the possibility of your casting a shadow on the water and scaring the fish. If you should come upon a deep pool in the stream and you feel sure that there are Trout in it; but they will not bite, throw some mud into the pool. Many times a piece of the banking will fall into the stream. carrying to the fish natural feed, thus the mud that’s thrown in the pool stimulates action.
A Lucky Break
We had been fishing the western part of New Hampshire for Brook Trout with very little luck. As a matter of fact, we were out four days and caught only one Brook Trout among the three of us. This was very disappointing! We decided to move on …… !
As we were riding we came to a promising looking brook. We parked the car, unloaded our gear, and started fishing. We fished this brook for over an hour with no success. There were Brook Trout in the stream but none would take the hook. Finally one of the fellows gave a yell from deep in the woods. We went in and found him under an old railroad trestle. He had three of the most beautiful Brook Trout I have ever seen!!! We pitched in and caught a few more.
It seemed the Trout were feeding on nymphs that were hatching on the beams of the old trestle. As the Trout were feeding in this spot they would take the worm very readily here, but not elsewhere.
PICKEREL
During the month of July you will find it is hard to catch Pickerel. This is because his mouth is sore. I find that baiting my hook with a a pond clam and trolling is a very good method to use at this time of year. The Pickerel seem to sense that the clam is soft and will strike for it .
Never fish Pickerel or any member of the pike family at night as they are totally blind at that time thus they can’t see the bait or lures.
When fishing for Pickerel with minnows always be sure to give him plenty of time to swallow the bait. Many time’s he will spit the bait out in order to grab it in the right position to swallow it head first. He will never swallow it sideways or tail first, as the fins would get stuck in his throat. Many anglers prefer to hook the shiner in the eye or mouth feeling sure that they have a better chance to catch the Pickerel because of this reason.
Thunderstorms, whether on lake or stream. are a signal for the ceasing of fish activity. It is the course of wisdom to take shelter and wait until the storm has passed and the fishing returns back to normal again.
SKITTERING:
A very good way to catch Pickerel is to skitter for them. To do this you should have a bamboo pole 15 to 20ft. long; a line attached to the end of the pole so that it will hang one foot below it; a small double spinner; a long shank hook; bait such as a small frog, worms or a piece of salt pork. This will enable you to throw the bait in bare spots among the lily pads and lift it out without getting tangled in them. When the bait lands pull it along in a slow jerky movement close to the top of the water and pull out when it has reached the pads. This kind of fishing is especially good during the summer months in ponds that are over-run with lily pads.
CO-OPERATION
We were fishing “Little Willy Pond”. when a very unusual thing happened. My two friends and I were casting in a very large inlet to the pond. I found that the Pickerel, varying between 22 and 28 inches, were following up the plugs but would not hit them. We would cast and while retrieving would see streaks heading toward the plugs and waited for the inevitable splash that meant we had hooked one. But none came!! The Pickerel would follow the plug right up to the boat and then disappear. This went on for a couple of hours when finally an idea hit us. One of the men took his telescope rod, put on a double spinner, a long shank hook and baited it with a night-walker. We cast out and when we saw a streak, we reeled in fairly fast. As the plug neared the boat the man with the telescope rod threw his line in the wake of the plug and drew it along slowly. The Pickerel seeing the spinner and night-walker would strike at it. We took turns luring the fish towards the boat and handling the telescope rod. Needless to say we had a great deal of fun and caught many nice Pickerel in this manner.
BLUEGILLS
If someday your out on the pond fishing Bluegills and the biting is slow you can try this little trick. Bring a balloon along with you and tie it to a captured Bluegill with a line 10 ft. long. Do this by putting the line in his mouth and pulling it out through one of his gills. Let the Bluegill go. You will find that, usually, he will swim to a school of Bluegills. Using the balloon as a guide you can locate the school very readily and do your fishing accordingly.
CASTING
After the novice has learned the art of casting with a casting rod, he should remember these things;
1. It Is not the length but the accuracy of the cast that counts. It Is far better to place your plug in an opening of Illy pads, not far away, than to throw it half way across the pond.
2. When spot-casting try to over shoot your mark but thumb your reel when the plug is nearing the desired spot
3. While retrieving use veritable forms of speed. It is also a good idea to stop your plug half way in for a few seconds, then continue reeling In. Many anglers like to reel in steadily but keep the top of their rod moving up and down. This gives the plug a jerky motion while retrieving.
4. Be sure to have plenty of space in back of you as well as in front of you. Many fishermen do not realize the distance the plug travels backward before it is shot forward.
5. The over-hand cast is far more accurate than the under-hand.
6. If you intend casting a pond during the night, row around it and notice where the lily pads and weeds are situated. This will enable you to get your bearings and have less trouble with weeds while casting during the night.
7. Start reeling in your line as soon as the plug hits the water if you are casting for Pickerel, but if you are casting for Bass, let the plug linger for five or ten seconds.
8. Oil your reel every hour of casting.
9. If you do not use a leader test the end of your line frequently (I usually cut about 3 feet off the end of the line before I start casting).
10. It isn’t the strength of the line, but the method in which you play the fish that counts.
11. You can stop a Bass from jumping too many times when hooked by simply putting the tip of your pole as deep into the water as you can and reeling in slowly.
12. When netting a large fish do not scoop at him with the net. Dip the net into the watter and head him into it. If you try scooping the fish up tail first, he is apt to feel the net against his body and can easily spurt forward out of the net. This gives him a chance for another run which may mean the loss of the fish.
13. Sometimes a cast Into an open spot In the· very heart of the weeds may prove very successful, even though It may mean that your plug may be fouled up if nothing strikes.
14. Always be alert and ready to set the hook when a fish strikes. More so when you are using artificial bait. When a fish strikes an artificial bait he knows as soon as the bait touches his mouth that it is not natural, and will try to spit it out as fast as possible. Many times the angler will become unattentive and at this time will probably get a strike and lose the only catch of day.
15. Always use a thin nylon or silk line when casting. This type of line gives you more distance and accuracy. A 12 to 151b. test line is very good.
16. If your line becomes frayed turn it end for end on the reel. This will give you the strongest part of your line to work with.
TROLLING
Trolling is a method of bringing the bait to the fish. I hope that the reader will find the following recommendations helpful.
1. When trolling for Pickerel never use a larger double spinner than a no. 1 because it will tend to twist your line and weight it down to heavily.
2. When trolling with minnows always hook them through the lips as they live longer this way.
3. It is always best to troll 5 or 10 feet from the weeds.
4. Always be sure that your bait is free from weeds. A fish will not take a bait that has weeds on it.
5. The inlet to a pond is always good to troll past. The ‘flowing Water brings natural food for the fish and they are always found where there is food.
6. During the hot months one should troll very deep as the fish are on the bottom of the pond where it is coot
7. When trolling with a frog, give the fish plenty of time to swallow the bait when he strikes.
B. Craw-fish is an excellent trolling bait.
9. Be sure to use a leader when you troll for Pickerel. The Pickerel has a long mouth and when he grabs the bait his teeth will tend to work as a saw upon the line if a leader is not used.
10. Leave the catch on your reel on at all times while you are trolling. If it is not on and you happen to get a strike you are liable to get a very bad back-lash.
11. When trolling it is best to use a heavy line because of the fact that your bait puts a heavy drag upon it. This, combined with a strike, would probably break a thin line.
12. In order to store your gear away it must be dry. The reel will rust and the line rot if put away wet.
13 . One should troll using a long shank hook. This gives him plenty of room to hook the bait and is much easier to remove from a fish’s mouth.
14. If an undersized fish is caught, wet your hands before taking him off the hook. Be sure to return him to the water as this insures you of getting some fish next year.
15. Early evening is a very good time to go trolling. The pond is calm and the fish are active.
BAIT
When fishing for Trout several small worms on the hook are better than one large one. Thus, the bait on the hook is more active. If fishing with flies try to duplicate the color of the nymph that are hatching at the time.
Craw-fish is a good bait for both small and large mouthed-Bass. Search for him with a flashlight in shallow waters at night. During the day, he may be found by turning over the rocks and logs under which he seeks shelter Although they have pincers they cannot pinch you hard enough to break the skin or hurt you seriously. Hook him through the tail. When fishing with one do not let it get to the bottom of the pond as it will dig into the mud.
When fishing with natural bait, the smaller the hook the less likely the fish to notice it as he takes the bait. when your stumped for bait try looking under logs, in old stumps and under stones. A grub or two found in this way may save the day.
Worms:
First get 50 feet of single wire. Attach two iron rods to one end and a house plug to the other end of the wire. The house plug should be attached to only one prong .. Stick iron rods into the ground where you think there are the most worms (be sure their stuck into the ground about 12 inches) . If ground is dry, sprinkle water within a four foot radius of the rods. Now, plug the other end into a circuit (be sure the circuit is 110 volts.) If the worms do not start coming up out of the ground, reverse the plug. Do not touch or go near rods while circuit is complete. You will find that if this is working properly the worms will come out of the ground and stay there until the circuit is broken
HELGRAMITE
Helgramite are one of the fine baits for Bass and are especially good for Trout. They are found under the rocks and dead-wood in or near water. To hook them, pass the point of the hook under the shiny collar at the back of the neck.
Afterwords
I often like to read this and be reminded of where I came from in terms of fishing. while a lot of the terms are outdated, the methods and message of the words still carry the same weight. I can still throw my light colored lures into the right spots and still pick the right baits for the right times. While it may be outdated (it was written in the 1960’s) it still carry’s true. I hope you have learned something from this and I hope it helps you in your next fishing venture. Thank you for reading.
